Master curve for brittle cleavage fracture toughness testing

The scatter distribution of the fracture toughness of macroscopically homogeneous, brittle materials is usually described by a cumulative failure probability distribution function, which is dependent on the material, the specimen-size and the testing-temperature. In this work, a master curve is derived which is material, specimen-size and testing-temperature independent, as long as the fracture is of brittle nature. With the help of this master curve statistical, macroscopic homogeneity, respectively quality of any investigated solid undergoing brittle cleavage fracture, can be readily checked by fracture toughness testing. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.